The Turncoat King

By: Michelle Diener

Narrated by: Stephanie Wyles, Tim Paige

A thirst for revenge.

Ava is committed to vengeance against the man responsible for the death of her parents. The same man, the queen's herald, kept her prisoner for two years, until she escaped with Luc, a warlord bent on vengeance just as fierce as her own. He's forged a powerful army of people from all through the region, called the Rising Wave, to march on the Kassian royal family and smash its corrupt power under the weight of their anger. But for Luc, just as for Ava, his true motive is a lot more personal.

A hidden magic.

Luc suspects Ava has magical abilities, and suspects he's benefited greatly from them, but he's no stranger to the burdens of power. He's prepared to let her tell him in her own time; after all, she's his heart's choice, and he will give her all the time she needs. Except time is running out for both of them. As they near the Kassian stronghold, forces from within their own camp and without will use every trick they have to stop both Luc and Ava and tear them apart.

A secret laid bare.

Luc knows Ava has a secret she's keeping from him - but what he doesn't realize is that she has many. And when those secrets are exposed, everyone will have to grapple with the consequences. Ava is prepared to sacrifice her happiness and even her life to save the Rising Wave and Luc - but she would prefer to use her heart and her head to outwit her enemies instead.

Includes prequel novella The Rising Wave.

©2021 Michelle Diener (P)2021 Podium Audio

I really wanted to like this one

I absolutely love Diener’s Class 5 series so I was very much looking forward to The Turncoat King.

I had such a hard time listening to this because I really didn’t enjoy the female voice. It honestly sounded like Siri was reading.

It was also very frustrating because there was no buildup of the relationship. They meet - instalove - they’re separated for months and the second they’re back together they can’t keep their hands off each other.

It also felt like too much story was given to the setup and then the climatic parts were brushed over.

It honestly just fell flat, for me, and has me wondering if it’s worth it to read Diener’s other books.

Excellent writing

Excellent pacing, world-building, character development and storytelling. Unfortunately the narrators were robotic and a tad slow. I keep my speed at 1.30 but better at 1.50. Just a tad fast. The male narrator was acceptable but the female narrator's voice did not match the character. It was still worth the listen.

Liked the story

Female narrator was flat and tone was grating. Male narrator was fine. Like the story and characters. Put up with narration to finish story

Excellent sword-and-sorcery romantasy

I don't typically read sword-and-sorcery fantasy, but I am a fan of paranormal romance and a fan of Michelle Diener's science fiction romance, which is why I gave this romantasy novel a chance. It is definitely well written. The world building is convincingly drawn. The two main characters, Ava and Luc, are both honorable, dynamic, well matched, co-equal warriors. Most importantly, for this type of story, there is plenty of exciting action.

This book and its sequel exist basically as one long, two-part novel. I normally don't read novels with cliffhangers, but for novels by MD, I am willing to make an exception.

Rough Narration

The female narrator is not a fun listen. She is robotic and doesn't seem to know how inflection works. I normally listen to books at about 1.35 speed and that definitely helped. It is almost like they slowed her part down after she recorded. The story is fantastic and the male narrator is good.